Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has promised to collaborate and support the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in its efforts to fast-track the development of the Niger Delta region.
Fubara made the promise yesterday when members of the NDDC Governing Board, led by the chairman, Mr Chiedu Ebie, paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Port Harcourt.
The NDDC team included the managing director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, the executive director of finance and administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye; the executive director of projects, Sir Victor Antai; the executive director of corporate services, Hon Ifedayo Abegunde and other members of the board and directors of the commission.
The governor said, “I am very happy that you have done the right thing by paying this courtesy visit. I assure you that we are ready to collaborate with all federal government agencies committed to the development of the Niger Delta region.
“The speech of the chairman, Mr. Ebie, shows that NDDC has identified more than 90 per cent of the problems facing the region and is ready to solve them,” he said.
On the duplication of projects as highlighted by the NDDC chairman, Fubara advised the commission to avoid cases of duplication of projects, stating that it was very necessary to consult the states before embarking on projects in their respective territories.
He said by identifying the problem, the NDDC had shown that it was ready to address the challenge, which according to him, had often caused some frictions between the states and the commission.
Earlier, the chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie, thanked the Rivers State government for hosting the commission since its inception in 2000.
Ebie said, “The NDDC Board was inaugurated on November 16. As our host governor, we thought it wise to pay you this courtesy visit before holding our inaugural meeting.
“We need to create a new life in the NDDC and collaborate more with development partners, including the state governments and other stakeholders in the region to achieve our objectives. I know that we have had problems with duplication of projects.
„Henceforth, representatives of the states in the NDDC board must be in constant touch with their state governments and ensure that projects are based on needs assessment.”
